BLM seeks input on proposed fee increase at Tent Rocks National Monument

Jonathan Fjeld | KOB

COCHITI PUEBLO, N.M. — The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on a proposal to increase the visitor entry fee at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument.

The BLM proposal would incorporate the recreation.gov reservation fee into the visitor entry fee. That would raise the entry fee from $5 per person to $6 per person. The extra money would go toward keeping facilities operational for the future.

The Northern New Mexico Resource Advisory Council will review the proposed changes in January 2025. If approved, the plan will take effect in February after the seasonal closure.

You have until Jan. 16, 2025 to submit public comment. Here is how you can submit your comment(s):

Email to BLM Planning and Environmental Coordinator Matthew Caire at mcaire@blm.gov (preferred)
Deliver to BLM Rio Puerco Field Office, ATTN: Matthew Caire, 100 Sun Ave., Suite 330, Albuquerque, NM, 87109 (Label the subject line as “Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument Business Plan”)

According to the BLM, the amenity fee helps enable the agency to improve services at the site, offset operating costs and reduce dependency on appropriated funding.

For more information about the proposed fee or business plan, you can reach out to the assistant field manager of the Rio Puerco Field Office at 505-761-8904.

Tent Rocks reopened last month after being closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the monument closed due to the pandemic at first, it remained closed as the BLM and Cochiti Pueblo evaluated operations of the monument.